Sheet-transfer mechanism



April 1931. D. M: SUTHERLAND. JR 1,801,322

SHEET- TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet l NEYS D.M. SUTHERLAND. JR 1,801,822

SHEET TRANSFER MECHANISM April 21, 1931.

Filed Sept. 24', 19 28 5 sheets-sheet 2 NQ Mw INVENTOR Jamelflfmwaafiuiizerimmgaz' A NEYS April 21, 3 D. M. SUTHERLAND. JR

SHEET TRANSFER MECHANISM File d Sept. 24, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheet 3 April21, 1931.

D. M. SUTHERLAND. JR

SHEET TRANSFER MECHANI SM Filed Sept. 5 Sheets-Sheet 4 m w n R 8 om mm ME V. 0 m m D V- April 21, 1931.

M. SUTHERLAND. JR

SHEET TRANSFER MECHANISM Filed Sept. 24, 1928 5 Sheets-Sheec 5 77 W ARNEYS Patented A r. 21, I931 OFFICE DANIFJL MANSON S'U'IHERLAND, JR., OFMORRISVILLE, TI'ENNSYLVANIA- snnEr-rmsrmt MECHANISM Application filedSeptember 24, 1928. Serial Ito. 307,839.

My invention relates to sheet transfer mechanism, and is especiallyadaptable and advantageous in connection with the manufacture of fibreboard. I

In the manufacture of fibre board, fibre pulp is brought into sheet formin an apparatus generally known as a wet machine, wherein a large. partof thewater of the pulp is drained away. The resulting sheet of wet,loosely coherent pulp is transferred to an apparatus generally referredto as a drier, where it is compacted'into a strong, coherent board byheat and pressure, and dried out by the heat. The wet machine and thedrier may be located on different floors or levels in the manufacturingplant, or at the same level.

In this mode of manufacture, the wet fragile sheet of slightly cohesiveparticles has to be received from the wet machine and transferred andintroduced into the drier,

and it is to this operation that my present invention is particularlyapplicable.

In the drawings, Fig. I is a somewhat diagrammatic elevation of a plantfor the manufacture of fibre board, with means em bodying my presentinvention for transferring the board from the wet machine to the drier.

Fig. II is a diagrammatic plan view of the same plant.-

Fig. III is a side elevation of one of the transfer devices or conveyorsshown in Fig. I, on a larger scale.

Fig. IV is a plan view of the device shown in Figs. II and III.

Fig. V is a fragmentary view of the left hand end of the device shown inFigs. III and IV, on a larger scale, with various parts in verticalsection as indicated by the line -v--v in Fig. iv.

Fig. VI is a fragmentary plan view corresponding to Fig. V.

Fig. VII is a fragmentary elevation of the right hand end of thecarriage shown in Fig. III, on a larger scale.

Fig. VIII is an end view of the carriage 'from the right of Fig. III,with the ways on which it runs in vertical section.

The elevator 26 serves to .However, I will first describe andconstruction of the carriage 22.

Fig. IX is a fragmentary plan view of the right-hand portion of thecarriage.

Fig. X is a diagrammatic elevation of one end of the'carriageillustrating the connections that are active in driving the belt whilethe carriage is stationary.

Fig. XI is a partly corresponding plan view.

Figs. XII and XIII are to Figs. X and XI, illustrating the connectionsthat are active in driving the belt and the carriage concurrently.

Figs. XIV and XV are diagrams similar to Figs. X and XI, illustratingthe connections that are active in driving the carriage %l one}i{n theopposite direction from that in Fig. XVI is a view similar to Fig. III,but less complete and on a larger scale, illustrating a device somewhatdifierent from those shown in Figs. II-IX.

ig. XVII is a fragmentary plan view of part of the mechanism shown inFig. XVI.

Figs. I and II show a Wet machine 20 for forming sheets from fibre pulp,a drier 21 for compressing and consolidatin the wet sheets and freeingthem of superfluous moisture, and the mechanism for transferring the Wetpulp sheets from the wet ma chine to the drier. As shown in Fig. I, thetransfer mechanism comprises a loader conveyor or carriage 22, runningon stationary rails 23, for receiving the sheets from the wet machineand'placing them in a pile diagrams similar on a truck 24E,shown asrunning on rails"- 25 that extend onto an elevator 26,-,and also anotherloader 27, running on stationary rails 28, for taking the sheets fromthe pile and introducing them between the plates 29 of the drier 21.adjust the top of the pile of sheets to theproper height for theconveyor 27, as well as to take care of any difference in level as.between the wet machine 20 and the drier 21. Each of the carriages22and 27 has an apron 30 for supporting the fibre sheet, and each apron ismovable longitudinally of its carriage.

the operation conveyor or carriage the ri ht, to the dot-and-dashposition of Figs. and III; while at the same time the apron 30 travelsto the left, at a rate corresponding to the bodily movement of thecarriage to the right, so that the sheet is not 1 shifted in eitherdirection, but is let down or deposited in situ on the pile on the truck24,the carriage and apron simply moving out from under it.

As shown in Figs. I and II to VI, the con-' veyor 22 comprises ahorizontal frame struc ture consisting of longitudinal side members orsills 31 and one or more transverse members 32 interconnecting them. Ateither side of this. frame are a couple of wheels or rollers 33, mountedon stub shafts 34 attached to the side members 31, and adapted to run onthe rails 23. The apron for supporting the wet fibre sheets is shown asthe top run of an endless belt extending around transverse rolls 36 ator adjacent either end of the carriage, with their shafts or trunnions37 mounted in hearings in the side members 31. Preferably, this apron orbelt 30 is of pervious or foraminous. character: e. g., it may consistof bronze or brass wire gauze of some 30 meshes per inch, or ofcanvastreated to be unshrinkable. As indicated in Fig. IV, the texture of thewire gauze extends diagonally of the belt 30, so as to give the latter ade ree of elasticity. As shown in Figs. II and-IV, the upper run of thebelt 30, on which the fibre sheet rests, is supported at suitableintervals by intermediate transverse rolls 38 whose shafts or trunnions39 are mounted'in bearings in the frame members 31. The rolls 36 and 38may be spaced'as much as a foot or more on centers, smce they are notrequired to afford anything like continuous support for the fibre sheet,but'merely to sustain the upper run of the belt 30 against stretching orsagging. The belt 30 may be driven primarily by either of the rolls 36,and secondarily by the other rolls 36 and the intermediate rolls 38.Accordingly, sprocket chains 40 run around sprockets 41 at the ends ofthe rolls 36 and 38 (Figs. IV, V, and VI), just outside the edges of thebelt 30, with their upper runs engaging sprockets 42 on the ends of therolls 38. As shown in Figs. III

and IV, there may be idle transverse rolls 43 beneath the lower run ofthe belt 30, to

,riage-shiftin help keep the latter taut and prevent it from sagging. Asshown in Fig. VII, the right-hand shaft 37 has eccentrically mountedbearings 44 which may be ad usted to keep the belt 30 properly taut, andmay be secured in adjusted position by a pin inserted through a hole ineach bearing ear 45 into any one of a number of holes 46 in the member31. As shown in Figs. II and III, spring buffer stops 47, 48 may beprovided to limit the movement of the carriage 22 both ways.

To assist in receiving the fibre sheet from the wet machine 20 andfeeding it on the belt 30, auxiliary conveyor means may be provided atthe 1810 hand end of the conveyor 22, shown in Figs. III to VI asconsisting of a belt 50 extending around small transverse rolls 51, 51whose shafts or trunnions 52 are mounted in hearings in the framemembers 31. Owing to its small size, the left-hand roll 51 can comeclose enough to the delivery roll and belt 53 ofthe wet machine 20 toengage the leading edge of a fibre sheet before it will sag down andbreak. One or both of the rolls 51 can be driven from the left-hand roll36 by gears 54 on the shafts 52 and one or more idle gears 55 mounted attheinner side of the member 31.

In the present instance, the carriage 22 is not moved along the rails 23by its wheels or rollers 33, but by gears 56 on a transverse shaft 57mounted in bearings in the frame members 31, and engaging stationaryracks 58 attached to the rails 23.

As shown in Figs. III to VI, VIII and IX, provision is made for drivingthe carshaft 57 and the right-hand belt-roll shaft 37 by a prime mover60 in the form of a reversible electric motor mounted on the carriageframe over one end of the belt 30. This motor 60 may be supported bya'horizontal plate 61 spanned between upward extensions of the sidemembers 31. Motion is transmitted from the motor shaft 62 to the shaft57 and the righthand roll-shaft 37 through intermediate transverseshafts 63, 64 mounted in bearings in the frame members 31, at eitherside of the motor 60. For this purpose,.there shafts 63and 57 and 64 and37 (see also Figs. VIII and IX). These latter may be kept taut byrollers 67 on, segment plates pivoted on the frame members 31, which maybe clamped in any desired position by clamp nuts 68..

To provide for the various motions of the carriage 22 and its belt 30,the pulleys of the connections 65, 66 may be made loose on the motorshaft 62, and a clutch mechanismv provided for connecting them to theshaft 62 alternatively: i. e., when the clutch 70 is engaged with theclutch element 71 of the connection 65 in Figs. VIII and IX, thisconnection is driven and the other connection 66 is idle; and vice-versaas to the other clutch element 72. The clutch 70 may be shifted by anysuitable means, such as a collar 73 and a yoke 74 connected to themovable core of a solenoid 75. As shown, the clutch 70 is biased toengage the connection 66 and drive the shaft 64 by a spring 76 acting ona rocker 77, whose forked upper arm has a pin and slot connection 78with the clutch collar 73. When the solenoid is energized, however, itovercomes the spring 76 and throws the clutch 70 into engagementwith'the connection 72 to drive the shaft 64.

The mechanism and connections thus far described 'provide for drivingthe conveyor 22 and the belt 30 alternatively. To drive the belt 30concurrently with the conveyor 22 but in the opposite direction and atcorresponding speed, "as is required to deposit the sheets on the truck24, provision may be made for driving the shaft 64 from the shaft 63,while the latter is being driven through engagement of the clutch 70with the connection 71. As shown in Figs. VIII and IX, this may beaccomplished by a chain and sprocket connection 79 between the shafts63,64 and a crown-ratchet vconnection 80 to the shaft 64, operative onlyfor clockwise rotation of shaft 63.

Figs. X and XI are diagrams of the connections that are active indriving the belt 30 to take a fibre sheet from the wet- 7 machine 20while the carriage 22 is at rest in its left-hand, full-lineposition,-the arrows indicating the directions of movement of the parts.

Figs. XII and XIII similarly show the active connections for driving thecarriage 22 to the right and the belt 30 to the left to lay a sheetonvthe truck 24, the motor 60 being, of course, reversed as comparedwith Figs. VIII and IX.

Figs. XIV and XV. show the active connections for returning the carriage22 to the left toward the wet-machine,the motor'60 revolving in the samedirection as in'Figs. X and XI. Here the belt 30 is driven to the right;but this is of no consequence, as there is no fibre sheet on it.

Thus, it will be seen, the entire operation of receiving a sheet,depositing it, and returning the carriage 22 for the next sheet can befully controlled by merely starting, stoping, and reversing the motor60, and energizing and de-energizing the solenoid 75. This, of course,can be done by the man in charge of themachine at the proper times, bymeans of an ordinary manually operated remote control push button.

The conveyor device or carriage 27 is more particularly illustrated inFigs. XVI and XVII. Except as hereinafter indicated, it is the same asthe carriage 22 in both construction and operation: accordingly likeparts are marked with the same reference characters in each case, as ameans of dispensing with repetitive dscription. It differs from thecarriage. mechanism 22 in being adapted to overhang cantilever-wisebeyond the support of itsways, 28. Accordingly, its supportingrolls orwheels 3341!. areall located near its left-hand end, as shown in Fig. I,and a couple of underrunning rolls 83 are provided at its rear end,mounted on brackets 84 to engage underneath the top flanges of thechannel rails 28 and prevent the free end of the carriage from tippingdown. The forward ends of the frame sides 31a are tapered, to facilitatetheir entry between the drier plates 29. Also, the carriage 27 isprovided with a pushing device 85 to push the previous sheet out of thedrier 21 as the carriage enters it with each new fresh sheet. As shownin Figs. XVI and XVII,

this pusher 85 consists of a bevel edged bar 86 mounted on crank arms 87fast to' a rockshaft 88 mounted in bearings in the frame sides 3M. Asthe carriage 27 enters the drier 21, the edge of this bar 86 rests onthe drier plate 29 and pushes out the-pressed and dried fibre board, asshown in Fig. XVI. Pivoted on the carriage frame member 31a is a rocker90 with one arm connected by a link 91 to a similar arm 92 on therock-shaft 88, and a roller 93 on its other arm. As the carriage 27moves back out of the drier 21, the roller 93 engages an incline 94 atthe end of the ways 29, and thus the push-bar 86 is lifted clearof theways before it has a chance to strike them.

As shown in Figs. XVI and XVII, a couple of rollers 95 may be mounted onthe inner sides of the frame members 31a, to engage the drier plate 29in case the carriage 27 should tip down, or the drier plate be a littlehigh.

The cycle of operation for the carrier 27 is somewhat different fromthat for the carrier 22. After introducing a sheet into the drier 21,the carriage 27 recedes to the left' (Figs. I and XVI), over the pile ofsheets on the truck 24, to the full line position of Fig. I. Thecarriage 27 then returns forward toward the pile of sheets on the truck24 and enters beneath the front edge or margin of the top sheetwhich hasmeanmad the belt 30 travels in the opposite direction (toward the left)relative to the carriage 27 at a. linear speed equal to the rate oftravel of the carriage; and thus the sheet is progressively elevated andpicked up on the carriage in situ,-without being moved horizontallyrelative to the pile of sheets, and'without riskof breakage. Therearward movement of the belt 30 relative tothe carriage 27 now ceases,and the carriage moves on forward into the drier 21, carrying the sheetwith it between the plates 29 of the drier. During this movement, thepushing device 85 pushes out the stiff dry sheet last treated in thedrier, as already described. The carriage 27 now recedes again (towardthe left), while the belt 30 travels in the opposite direction (towardthe right), at a rate of speed equal to the rate of travel of thecarriage, and thus the sheet is dropped in situ by a simple reversal ofthe operation of picking it up,or just as it was laid down on the pileon the truck 24 by the other carriage 22, as already described.

The conclusion of this receding movement brings the carriage 27 back toits full line position of- Fig. I, ready to take the next sheet off thepile. I

The operation of the apparatus or plant as a whole is, briefly, asfollows:

A sheet of fibre pulp having been formed in the wet machine 20, it isdelivered therefrom and received by the loader 22, which deposits thesheet on a truck 24 on the elevator 26, in the manner already described.This isrepeated until the truck 24 is fully loaded, whereupon the truckmoves forward (Fig. II) on the track 25 to a position between the drier21 and the loader 27. There-- upon the loader 27 picks up the sheets andintroduces them into the drier 21, one by one, as already described.Meantime, .the truck 24 now being unloaded into the drier 21 has beenreplaced by another similar truck in front of the wet machine 20; sothat while thefirst truck 24 is being unloaded, this second truck 24 isbeing loaded with other sheets as they are successively formed in thewet machine 20. The interval required for the formation of a. sheet inthe wet machine 20 aflords ample time for one truck 24 to replaceanother in front of the wet machine 20; and in any case, a formed sheetmay be held in the wet machine 20 as long as necessary for one truck tomove away and another to take its place. As trucks 24 are successivelyunloaded into the drier 21, they may, of course, be returned back to thewet machine 20 in any suitable. manner, for reloading.

Having thus described my invention, I claim:

1. In a fibre board plant, the combination with a wet machine forforming fibre pulp into sheets and a plate presser and drier forconverting the wet slfeets intoboard, of a reciprocatory loader fortaking sheets one by one from the wet machine and piling them, areciprocatory loader for taking the sheets from a pile and carrying thembetween the drier plates, and means or receiving the sheets in a pilefrom the first loader and transferring and presenting the pile to thesecond loader.

2. A loader of the character described comprising a reciprocatingcarriage, and a flexible belt for supporting a wet fibre pulp sheetrunning lengthwise of said carriage and covering substantially its fullwidth, with means for driving said belt relative to the carriage, toload and unload the fibre sheets on to and off of the carriage.

3. A loader of the character described comprising a reciprocatingcarriage, transverse rolls on said carriage and a flexible belt runningaround said rolls for supporting a fibre pulp sheet, means for drivingsaid belt through one of said rolls and transverse rolls on saidcarriage at intervals between those aforementioned for sustaining thetop run of the belt under the weight of the sheet.

4. A loader of the character described comprising a reciprocatingcarriage, transverse rolls on said carriage and a flexible 'belt runningaround said rolls for supporting a fibre pulp sheet, means for drivingsaid belt through one of said rolls, transverse rolls on said carriageat intervals between those aforementioned for sustaining the top run ofthe belt under the weight of the sheet, and means for connecting saidlatter rolls to those first mentioned to be driven by them.

5. loader of the character described comprising a carriage frame withlongitudmal side members, transverse rolls therein having sprocketsinside said side members, a flexible belt running around said rolls forsupporting a fibre pulp sheet, transverse rolls at intervals betweenthose aforementioned for sustaining the top run of the belt, withsprockets thereon inside the side members, and sprocket chains runningaround the sprockets of said first-mentioned rolls and engaging thesprockets of the intermediate rolls.

6. leader of the character described comprising ways, a reciprocatingcarriage with a belt for supporting a fibre pulp sheet runninglengthwise thereof, and wheels on said carriage for supporting itsweight and for coacting with the ways to sustain it cantilever wise whenprojecting beyond the ways.

7. A loader of the character described comprismga reciprocatingcarriage, a belt for supporting a fibre pulp sheet running lengthwise ofsaid carriage, and a common motor for said belt and carriage mounted onthe latter, with driving connections for driving each of them. I

8. A loader of .the character described comprising a reciprocatingcarriage with transverse rolls, a belt running around said .rolls forsupporting a fibre pulp sheet, and a common motor with alternativedriving connections for said belt and carriage, mounted on the carriageabove. the belt.

. 9. A loader of the character described comprising a reciprocating;carriage with ways therefor, transverse rolls on said carriage and abelt running around said rollsfor supporting a fibre pulp sheet, drivingmeans for said carriage including a. gear thereon and a stationaryrackin mesh therewith, and a common motor for said belt and carriage mountedon the latter, with driving connections to one of said rolls and to'said gear.

10. A loader of the character described comprising a reciprocatingcarriage, a belt for supporting a fibre pulp sheet running 7 lengthwiseof said carriage, and akcommon g5 reversible motor for said belt andcarriage mounted on the latter, 'with'driving connections including atransverse shaft for driving the carriage, a transverse shaft fordriving the belt, means for operatively .con-

necting said motor to said shafts alternatively, and an interconnectionbetween the shafts that is effective for rotation in on direction only.

11. A loaderof the character described comprising a carriage frame withlongitudinal side members and transverse rolls mounted therein, a beltrunning around said rolls, longitudinal ways for said carriage,stationary racks on said wa s and gears mounted on said frame coactmgwith said racks to reciprocate the carriage, a common motor for saidbelt and carriage mounted on the frame, transverse shaftsm'ounted insaid side members above the belt and driven I 40 by said motor anddriving connections from said shafts to said gears and one of said rollsoutside of said side members.

12. In a fibre board plant, the combination with a wet machineforforming fibre pulp into sheets and a plate drier for con-,

verting the wet sheets into board, of a reciprocatory loader for takingsheets one by one from the wet machine and piling them, a reciprocatoryloader for taking the sheets from a pile and carrying them between thedrier plates, and means for receivingthe sheets m a pile from the firstloader and transferring and presenting the pile to the second loader andadjusting the top of the pile to the proper level for the second loader.

In testimonywhereof, I have hereunto signed my name at Trenton, NewJersey, this 10th day of September, 1928. v

. DANIEL MANSON SU'I'HERLARD, Jr.

